Well, there we were about to enter a theater screaming the title,

not having a clue what the show was about. Something about, "in Urinetown you gotta pay to pee." As we worked our way inside it became evident this was something different. Imagine, if you will, the Reg Lenna painted in semi-gloss black from top to bottom. We soon found our seats in the mezzanine. They were on an aisle so we had tons of leg room. Mike claimed seat D 6. The railing was there, but given the way the space was being used, it was certainly not a problem. I thought back to the Irving Plaza just the night before and was happy to be sitting down for this show.

The environment was embellished with holes smashed through the ceiling allowing beams of light through to sculpt the haze that flowed around the venue. The stage was surrounded with scaffolding. Our seats being close to the wall afforded us a close-up view of the action happening on the stage left scaffolding(what would normally be the box seats). Soon a prison guard/cop worked his way into the area,doughnut in hand. Not far behind him the conductor made his entrance from stage left and crossed the stage to the "pit" a fenced-in area offstage right. Soon, we were off to Urinetown.

For a sample of the music go to the Urinetown website and check it out. The show was a trip and left us with many fond memories, some of which were captured on these post cards that were free for the taking in the amenity in the lower lobby.

This is Mr. Cladwell, Big Boss of the Urine Good Company. This card will soon be priceless. They mispelled his name(Cladwell) on it. It was a treat to watch Mr. Cullum work. He can still bust a move!

Officer Lockstock, Jeff McCarthy, warned us on the dangers of too much exposition..

Little Sally quickly put words to the thought foremost in the audience's mind.

We soon met Bobby Strong, the hero of the show and his love interest, Hope.

It wasn't long before Opel was warning Bobby about the dangers of having hope(note: that's a lower case "h").

Things looked pretty bleak for Hope during the "Snuff That Girl" number.

My favorite number of the show followed. In a big upbeat chorus number Bobby sang about Freedom. He started by assuring Tiny Tom:

Tiny Tom:   I'm frightened.

Bobby:    As well you should be. Freedom is scary. It's a blast of cool wind that burns your face to wake you up.

Tiny Tom:     Literally?!

Bobby:    Yesss!

Okay, after all of the twists and turns in the plot, it was time for the big finish. The curtain call number was pretty piss hot, too!

After the show Mike made sure to grab some Urinetown Playbills. I headed to the amenity to grab a fistfull of postcards. We're going to get to Rio one way or the other! After the postcard trip, we hit the merchandise table. I went crazy. I bought a T-shirt, cap and a poster. Mike scored a CD.

It has some great photos inside.

I headed outside to the stage door with my poster. Mike crossed the street to shoot the exterior shots of the theater. I was suprised how few people hung by the stage door. I was shameless and asked to have my poster signed. Jeff McCarthy was the first one out. He was quite amiable and we chatted for a few minutes. Not far behind him was John Cullum. He was "big guns" and had a car waiting. Both gentlemen gently reminded me to come back and see the show again and to bring lots of friends. Hmm, they must not be selling well during the week. By the time Mike got back to the stage door I was asking Hunter Foster, Bobby, to sign my poster. I got the distinct feeling he thought my poster was going straight to e-bay. It didn't, it went straight to the frame shop and then my office.

With smiles on our faces like we had just peed for free, we headed back to the Ameritania.

HAIL MALTHUS !